ALBANY, N.Y. (AP) — It’s hardly the Dodgers going to Los Angeles, but another major sports franchise is leaving Brooklyn.
The New York Islanders, who moved from their suburban home to Brooklyn in 2015, have won a bid to build a new arena on the grounds of the Belmont Park horse track.
State officials confirmed the deal Wednesday ahead of a formal announcement. The racetrack is home to the third leg of horse racing’s Triple Crown.
The National Hockey League team beat out a bid from the New York City FC soccer team, which envisioned building a stadium on the site in Elmont, just east of New York City.
The Islanders played at the Nassau Coliseum from 1972 until 2015. Fans never fully embraced their new home at Brooklyn’s Barclays Center.
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